The pawpaw might sound like an unusual name, but it made sense to the Portuguese explorer who found it. The explorer recognized it as similar to the papaya fruit and named it accordingly.
Papayas and Pawpaws do look similar. Both are small light green fruits that grow in clusters. Though once you look inside the fruit the similarities seem to stop. Pawpaws have larger fewer seeds and are more yellow inside than papayas as well as a different taste.
Pawpaws, though taste is subjective, reportedly taste like a mix of mango, banana, and possibly a bit of passion fruit. However if you eat an unripe Pawpaw it will taste mostly bitter because of a chemical found in their seeds.
These unique fruits can’t be sold in supermarkets due to their short shelf-life. Pawpaw trees are small and fully mature within a decade. You can have your own sweet source of a very rarely sold fruit in just a couple years. You also don’t need to worry about deer eating your fruit either. You just plant your tree, and wait to reap the benefits.
Related Stories:
Harvesting Pawpaw Trees – Stark Bro’s
What Are Pawpaws, and Why Are People So Obsessed with Them?.
Paw Paw : Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project : Programs | Events : Adkins Arboretum
How to make pawpaws sweet | Monitor
Do Deer Eat Paw Paw Fruit? – Whitetail Hill Chestnuts.
